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MARV (WOODWARD) WEATHERBEE 



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WORCESTER, MASS. I 

PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR 

1888 
60 



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Copyright, 1888, by 
Marv (Woodward) Weathf.rp.ee 



'•'•My oract shall be sufficient for t/iee^ 

II ( 



ctHE way is long and I am far from home, 

^iiljjc And fast the day 

^ Is hasting to its close : yet sweet there comes 

x\ cross my way, 
A whisper as if God did say to me, 
"My grace ahvav shall be sufficient for thee." 

And thus the nicrht becomes as brio-htest dav. 

Since He, my Lord, 
Vouchsates to lead me in this kindly way. 
And trustinor God ; 
That still, small yoice is ever whispering me : 
'• My grace ahvay shall be sutficient for thee." 



In vale of tears or on orand Piso'ah heiu'hts. 

He is my stafl\; 
And for ni}^ thirst the living rock He smites. 
That I ma}' quaff; 
Nor hunger, cold or w^ant while He doth lead me 
" His grace alway, shall be sufficient lor me." 



^My prescjicc shall go zvith tlicc, and I -v ill give thee rest. 

V.y.. xxxiii. : 14 



^w^S some lone traveller in a foreign land, 
|M: Longs lor some Iriend to take him by the hand. 
^s^ To cheer him by his presence all the way, 
E'en to the close of each eventful day, 



So would I put my hand in thine, () Lord, 
And follow, as Thou leadest, O my God, 
Though rough the road and dark the skies above. 
I fear no ill while trusting in Thy love. 

Day unto day, repeats the promise new. 
Of grace distilled as is the morning dew ; 
Of help extended in each hour of need. 
And heavenly manna that our souls may ii^.^{X. 

O, precious promise I as we journey on. 
To reacli our Fathers house fair Canaan, 
"For I will go with thee and give thee rest," 
In Heaven within the mansions of the blest. 



''''For we seek a better country^ that is an Jieavenlv'' 

Hed. xi. : 1 6 



l^piO near it seems, that strange, bright world unseen, 
^j^ That land of light: 

^^ So short the journey, all the road between, 

x\lmost in sight, 
I cannot think that one poor child of clay. 

Can lose his way. 

So brio-ht the lioj;ht that streams adown the wa\', 

I almost think 
We catch a Ibretaste of the opening day 

Through widening .chinks 
That time has made in this poor sheltering .inn 

Of flesh and sin. 

It lieth all about us, that land so lair. 

So near, we seem 
Almost within the vestibule, e'en where. 

In joy supreme. 
We drop the mortal to be clothed upon. 

With light beyond. 

So near 'tis but to whisper, ''Come my child," 

And by the hand. 
He lifts us, o'er death's narrow stream and wild : 

Unto that land 
Of blessedness, beyond, all human telling. 

All fear dispelling. 



For him that overcometh, there remains 
This better country. 

Even an heavenly, and a blessed name. 
And raiment comely. 

Exceeding white, lor these shall walk in light 
I'hat knows no night. 



^^¥^ 



■^LoVCSt tJlOK 1)1 cf . 

John xxi. : i 5 



IT WOULD, O Lord, if Thou shouldst ask of iitc, 
i ^'Wouldst follow me?" 

^ E'en as of Peter, when he followed Thee : 
Lovest Thou me ? 
I mii^ht by no temptation be beguilded 
So «n-ievouslv to sin, e'en for a while. 



In all Tliy loving care, I hear Thee say, 

' ' Wouldst follow me ? " 
As when Thou leadest through rough, thorny ways 
Hidden to me. 
So may I loyal be to Thee, alway, 
Nor vainly boast, though I would love Thee aye 

Through all the gathering years I hear Tliee say, 

Lovest thou me? 
Each earlv morn and each declining day, 
-'Wouldest follow me?" 
Yea, Lord, be Thou my soul's supremest guest, 
And in Thv love find everlasting rest. 



'-''Bear yc one another s burdeus and so fulfil t/ie /azv 
of Christ.^'' 

(1 \L. vi. : 2 



tH I would that in our blind and seltisli seeking 
For what the world calls gain, instead of heaping 
That which but only gathers rust and brings 
Unrest, we might but hear the message ring. 
That, like as Christ a thorny crown did w^ear. 
So must ye one another's burdens bear. 
'T is only a few suns we w^alk together, 
Across deep streams or through the flowery heather ; 
And, if a brother hunfjers, shall we orive 
Naught but a stone? Vain were it thus to live 
Upon God's bounty, while in peril some : 
Or others are athirst ; or naked come. 
And we retuse to ope the door. For such 
Ingratitude, forgive dear Lord, and touch 
Our hearts with pity, and in love to bear 
The burdens of our brother, and to care 
For others' weal, else were our little life 
Not worth the living, with its toil and strife. 
From reaching after fruits w^hich taste but bitter. 
While all our getting is corroding glitter. 
E'en now% dear Lord, before the day is ended, 
x\nd the sum total of our deeds be rendered. 



Help us to lilt our brother's heavy load. 

And wake and toil upon the dusty road. 

Give of our food, if hungry or athirst. 

And clothe and warm, with that same bounty first 

From which Thou hast so lovingly supplied 

Us, so unworthy. Thus may w^e apply 

This new^ command of Him '' our elder Brother" : 

'' As you I loved, so love ve one another." 



^;^^tv 



'-'•Are they not all iniiiistering spirits^ sent forth to 
mifrister to thew that shall be he/rs of salvation f 

Hf.b. i. : 14 



HITHER, O whither, are ye goner' 
■J. Our dear beloved dead, 

c,.,^] Who once did live and walk with us 
Are ve forever fled 



To those fair mansions of the blest. 

The father hath prepared. 
The Paradise of all the saints. 

The bliss beyond compare? 

O love, beyond all earthly loving. 
The grace of Him, who sends 

Ye forth, as angels ministering. 
In w^ork of love to men. 

O blessed spirits, veiled in light 
So bright I may not see : 

Fill all my soul with that same love. 
Which worketh love to me. 

Ye are not fled, but clothed upon. 
With garments pure and white ; 

Born to a better heritage. 

To walk in God's own light. 



I almost see yc beckonino-. 

The way to Zion's hill. 
And hear your hallelujahs ring. 

x\s all the heavens they hll. 

As ye through fiery trials, trod 
Lite's rough and . thorny way. 

So would 1 drop my weight of sin, 
To walk the narrow way. 

Whither ve went, I too would go. 
And join the heavenly throng, 

1\) chant the glories of the Lamb, 
In one unending song. 



^^^^^ 



Ai?d i/i His time^ He ivill give yoii your reward. 



^^piO work," He says, 

Wif ^"^ ^ ^ill gi^'^ to each, his wages full ; 
^l Nor think that I will give task too severe. 
Or will not meet to thee most bountiful. 
For all thy labors here. 



'T is even He ! 
The Lord of Heaven and all the earth and sky. 

That gives to each a talent and to some. 
Yea, ten, wherewith to work and occupy. 

That says, '' Until I come." 

And if the days 
And 3'ears that intervene until He comes. 

Be many, ne'er forget that so shall be 
Thy strength, and for thy sorrows there shall come 

A joy unspeakable. 

/\nd if He takes 
Of all thy flock the lamb most dear, and leads 

Thee far from tlw own chosen way and hides 
Himself in thickest clouds, whate'er thy needs. 

Shall freely be supplied. 



Then do th\- work 
Betimes; not knowing if at morn or even. 

Shall seem His own good time to reckon thee 
Thy wage. Faint not : for He w\\\ never leave 

That work unblessed t(^ tliee. 



And when it comes 
To thee, to lay thy burden down, O blest. 

From all thv conflicts and thy pains to rest, 
To f^ain Nirvana, home of God's elect, 

x\nd be forever blest. 



" Mv peace 1 i^'ivc iiHto tJtce.'^ 

loilN- 



I 



SWEETEST words that tongue can sing, 
Or friends can whisper to me ; 
■« This message that my dear Lord brings, 
" My peace I give unto thee." 



And evermore when sorrows roll. 

And wa\e on wave sweeps o'er me. 

There still abides within my soul. 
The peace He giveth to me. 

And thus, at darkest evening's close. 
When fears weigh thick and heavy ; 

There comes an hour of sweet repose, 
From peace He giveth to me. 

Thus ever on my willing ear. 
So long as life He gives me ; 

Be mine these precious words to hear, 
^' Mv peace I give unto thee." 



*^And he zoas sad at that sayuig for he had great 

possessions. 

Mark x. : 23 



EAR CHILD," I seemed to hear the Master say, 
\>i\\\ 4. What hast thou brought as fruit of all these years 
I gave, wherein to ripen, for 'tis near 
The harvest, when to gather in mv grain?" 
Half satisfied with labor of my life, 
I laid it down. "Behold ! dear Lord, 'tis Thine." 
'* Alas I mv child, thou hast withheld of mine. 
What most of worth to gain eternal life." 
Poor love of self can never enter there. 
Since God is all in all, and who would gain 
Inheritance above must love all men. 
For love fulfils His law : is fruit most fair. 
And yields an hundred fold, in sun or rain. 
Brino- then much fruit, in love for every man. 



^^ After a long time the Lord of those servaf/ts comet// 

a fid reckoueth zvith them^ 

Matt. xxv. : 19 

:T:-^.y;HAT if in all our noblest deeds, 
\\\\ Which promise fruitage green or fully ripe, 
rtjA\ There should be found beneath the pruning knife, 
Naught but some blasted fruit and weeds. 

How can we think to make excuse, 

And plead for want of sun and kindl}' dew ; 

As if our Lord had made exacting dues, 
And we had not misused. 
Or say,' 'lie reaps and has not sown;" 

For deep within our hearts we feel the breathing 

Of God's divinely given spirit, seeking 
To make the field His own. 
Then must the plough make deep the furrows : 

He wounds the heart to break the fallow ground. 

Tears out the tangled roots that earthward bound. 
And waters with our tears of sorrow. 
Each heart is thus God's planting ground. 

And every selfish thought is Satan's tares, 

Which must be rooted up, and all our care. 
So when He cometh shall be found. 

The full and perfect fruits of grace. 
His love to us with usury returned. 
The needful, bitter lessons, all well learned; 

Then shall we see Him face to face. 



'"•I am the viiic^ ye arc the hra}iches.'" 

John xv. : i 



1^1 ND what is this He saith? 

Iw To us as to the well beloved twelve, 

^i^ Who hung so fondly on the words that fell 

From Him who spake as never man had spoken. 

Who is our Life, and He the body broken. 

E'en this He saith :" I am the vine and ye 

Tlie branches, if ye but abide in me." 

Then shall we not have faitli ? 

Oil, blessed be the thought. 
Christ is the vine, and all our life but flows 
Through Him, in whom as branches we may grow 
And send forth bud and blossom and. much fruit. 
If but we do abide in Him, the Truth : 
Deny ourselves, and grow in grace and love. 
And humbly seek our help from Christ above. 

Counting ourselves as nought. 

O Christ, who art our Life. 
Be Thou in us. the Way, the Truth and may 
Thy grace perfect our inmost thoughts each day. 
Thou art the vine. O may we live in Thee, 
x\nd yield the fruits of perfect love and peace. 
Drink of Thy fullness and be satisfied. 
Yea, freely drink. Thou never wilt deny. 

Of everlasting Lite. 



" W/iCN thou passeth through the waters I uoill be ivith 
theer 

Isaiah xlii. : 2 



WHY should I fear to tread life's tangled meshes, 
Since Thou, my Lord, dost lead : 
:^>:^^j Or shrink afrighted though the cold wave dashes 
Wild from an unknown sea? 



What thouo-h I hear the rush of many waters. 

Since Thou dost shelter me. 
Nor wind nor wave shall make my heart to falter, 

But closer cling to Thee. 



And thouc^h the storm clouds ^rather in their blackness, 

Thy still small voice I hear. 
From out the wild roar of the winds in madness, 

" Child of my soul, ne'er fear." 



Fear not the winds and storms of Life's brief morning. 

Nor shadows of the night. 
For out of earth's damp vapors bursts the dawning 

Of Heaven's eternal light. 



^^ It shall be a -veil of zvafer spr/;/o-/;/o- up unto ever 
lasting lifcy 

John iv. : 14 



I'J-S one who journeys o'er the trackless sands 

■&%. Of desert, sudden finds 

^fe A Hmpid stream, and with upHtted hands. 
For jo}' of seh" and kind. 
Utters a cry of gratitude supreme. 
The while he drinks of the perennial stream. 



So while we thirst upon the dusty road 

Of Life's long, weary day : 
So may we upward look beneath our load. 
To Christ who is our way. 
Behold in Thee a well of water springing. 
And drink, then, of Thy loye be ever sinjiino:. 



T> 



O Christ our life I the stream that never faileth. 

How free soe'er we drink, ' 
The fountain whence to cleanse of sin's defilement. 
x\nd whatsoe'er we think. 
Forever of all sin thy blood atoneth. 
Forever on Thy love our soul reposeth. 



'■'' Other foHndatioii am )io man lay^ than that is laht^ 
Jesus Christ Jiimsclf^ being the chief corner stone.'' 



Kvw. ii. : 20 



tow can I hiy it down, dear Lord and say, 
Thus have I toiled and wrought for Thee t(vday. 
Thus hungered, have I fed Thy Httle ones. 
And shielded them from many a burning sun, 
Thus have I lifted of some heavy load, 
Thv child, footsore upon a rugged road. 
And done to others good, as Thou to me. 
Thus have I wrought, dear Lord, in love for Thee. 

Master, I would that I might truly say. 
Thus have I loved for many and many a day. 
Alas I mv heart says nay, for self I wrought. 
And to Thv service but a tithe have brought. 
Of all the talents given me for use. 
Self, have I served, and all thy gifts abused. 
Have gathered of Thy bounty, called it mine, 
Forcrive, dear Lord, I own the whole is Thine. 

And from this diiy be this my work, to fill 

Whatever place Thou dost appoint, until 

The end. To build on sure foundation walls, 

Thyself the chief and corner stone of all. 

That, in the temple of my Lord be found. 

Some work I 've wrought in which much love abounds 

Unto the least of these. Thy little ones. 

And all tor love of Thee, whatever I've done. 



''Ar/se ve and depart, for this is not your rest:' 

Mr(\\ii ii. : TO 



|m VOICE comes through the silent watches stealing, 
|fft A voice far sweeter than from lips of men. 
•^- It whispers in my ear, " Why linger kneeling, 

When darkness and the morning almost blend.' 



Arise my child, no more for rest be seeking. 
Nor ease, for ye are strangers in the land. 

And must depart, thought oft it be with weepino-. 
Across the Jordan and its rolling sands. 



Behold ! a land with milk and honey flowintr. 
Whereof who eats shall never hunger more : 

Who drinks thereof, shall never cease from knowino- 
That peace that satisheth evermore. 

O, precious heritage ! dear Saviour lead me 
Just as Thou wilt, but, to this promised land ; 

In those fresh, green and heavenly pastures lead me, 
x\nd, lest I wander, take me by the liand. 



Sanford & Dav^is 

Printers 
Worcester, Mass. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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